Without question, Americans look to their First Amendment right to free speech probably as much if not more than any other protection afforded to them under our Constitution and Bill of Rights; for that reason, it demands much attention.  This lesson will seek to provide a background of some of the major free speech cases throughout our country’s history, where those rights have been allowed to be infringed upon by government, and where the courts have stepped in to prevent government from censoring speech.

In this problem-based learning module,  students will explore the Bill of Rights.  They will have an opportunity to become “experts” on one of the ten amendments, present their findings, participate in a station rotation to review, and play a fun, online game to reinforce and challenge.

In this lesson students will explore some of the doubts and misgivings that arose as the Continental Congress debated whether or not to add a bill of rights to the Constitution. They will investigate a letter James Madison wrote to Thomas Jefferson on October 17, 1788, in which Madison discusses the pros and cons of a bill of rights. It is part of a series of letters these men exchanged on the topic. Jefferson, who was in Paris at the time, strongly supported inserting a list of fundamental liberties into the Constitution, and he asked Madison to keep him abreast of the debate. In this letter Madison not only updates Jefferson on the bill’s progress but also explains his thoughts about a bill of rights and its role in the American Constitution.

We have excerpted three passages from Madison’s letter, each accompanied by a series of close reading analytical questions for students to answer. The first excerpt explains the context of the debate, including reasons why a bill of rights might not be necessary. The second explores Madison’s reasons for supporting a bill of rights, and the third discusses how he believed such a list of rights, if written, should be structured. We have provided a short summary at the beginning of each excerpt. Spellings are retained from the original document.

You will find two interactive exercises in this lesson. The first allows students to review vocabulary found throughout the text. The second, recommended for use after you have conducted the close reading, reviews the central points of the textual analysis. You may want to use its first slide to direct whole class discussion in which you ask students to support their answers with evidence from the text. The second slide provides the correct responses with textual support.

It is important to remember that here the term “majority” refers to large groups of powerful politicians and legislators, not to a mass of voters. Moreover, Madison did not conceive of “minorities” as we do today — groups like women, African-Americans, Latinos, or other social or ethnic groups. Rather, when he uses the word, and when we use it in this lesson, it simply refers to a political group whose numbers are less than the majority.

This lesson consists of two parts, both accessible below. The teacher’s guide includes a background note, the text analysis with responses to the close reading questions, access to the interactive exercises, and an optional follow-up assignment. The student’s version, an interactive worksheet that can be e-mailed, contains all of the above except the responses to the close reading questions and the follow-up assignment.

In this lesson, students will experience the internment of Japanese Americans from San Francisco's Fillmore neighborhood. By connecting local experiences with national events, students will understand both the constitutional issues at stake and the human impact of this government policy.

As American citizens, you are born with rights, but do you even know what those rights are? In this seminar, you will learn about the creation of the Bill of Rights and how those freedoms are still protected by the United States government today.  Standards5.1.9.D Compare and contrast the basic principles found in significant documents: Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, PA Constitution.5.1.12.E Analyze and assess the rights of people as written in the PA Constitution and the US Constitution.CC.8.5.9-10.B Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text. 

Presents the most significant documents from our fourth President, James Madison. Most relate to two events in which Madison played a key role: the drafting and ratification of the Constitution (1787-8) and the introduction in the First Federal Congress of the amendments (1789) that became the Bill of Rights. Other documents relate to the freedom of religion and the burning of Washington, D.C., by the British in 1814 -- perhaps the major embarrassment of Madison's career.

This book is written for you – students early in college – to provide a guide to the founding documents and structures of governance that form the United States political system. This book is called American Government and Politics in Principle and Practice because you will notice that what has been inscribed in law has not always been applied in practice-particularly for indigenous peoples, enslaved peoples, people of color, women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, those formerly incarcerated, immigrants and the working class within U.S. society.

In designing this book, we have two goals. First, we want you to know what the founding documents say and how our political institutions were formed. Second, and as important, we season the book with questions for you to investigate and learn concerning who has been excluded and who has benefited from the political structures of the United States. We will examine the contradictions and tensions that erupt, and how social movements have transformed our political landscape. We offer a range of questions/assignments that will allow you to help us keep this book up to date.

You will read, across time, tensions between the federal and state governments, between individual and collective rights, between those with power and those without, and you will notice when and for whom rights have been protected by our government and when and for whom rights have been trampled. We will explore the historical context that informs significant political movements and structures of the present. This is history riddled with racism, xenophobia, sexism and imperialism, and also a vibrant history of struggle where groups of people imagine, fight for, and often achieve a more equitable society.

 U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most introductory courses. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience). U.S. History covers key forces that form the American experience, with particular attention to issues of race, class, and gender.Senior Contributing AuthorsP. Scott Corbett, Ventura CollegeVolker Janssen, California State University, FullertonJohn M. Lund, Keene State CollegeTodd Pfannestiel, Clarion UniversityPaul Vickery, Oral Roberts UniversitySylvie Waskiewicz

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the competing visions of the Federalists and the Democratic-RepublicansIdentify the protections granted to citizens under the Bill of RightsExplain Alexander Hamilton’s financial programs as secretary of the treasury

The "Future Ready" content focuses on civics and the United States Constitution. It explains the Constitution's purpose and how it was ratified. The objectives are to teach about power distribution between national and state governments, principles of the American constitutional federal republic, the role of law in the political system, government institutions created during the Revolution, and different levels of government in the US.Key terms related to the Constitution are highlighted, such as amendments, bicameral legislature, Bill of Rights, checks and balances, Declaration of Independence, federalism, Preamble, separation of powers, and unalienable rights.The content emphasizes the Constitution as the highest law and the relationship between the federal government and states. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments, is explained along with specific rights and protections. Important amendments like the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, and Tenth are described.The passage also covers the separation of powers and checks and balances in the American government to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. It concludes with questions to test understanding, including the purpose of the Preamble, the meaning of domestic tranquility, the provision for common defense, and the importance of the separation of powers.

In this seminar you will learn about some of the rights of a citizen in the United States. You will think about the rights that you have as a citizen and rank their importance according to your beliefs. You will have to use the “remaining open to continuous learning” habit of mind in this seminar. Additionally, you will get to create your own Classroom Bill of Rights!StandardsSS5CG2 Explain the process by which amendments to the U.S. Constitution are made.SS5CG1 Explain how a citizen's rights are protected under the U.S. Constitution.SS5CG1.a. Explain the responsibilities of a citizen.

In this lesson you will learn about some of the rights of a citizen in the United States. You will think about the rights that you have as a citizen and rank their importance according to your beliefs.  Additionally, you will get to create your own Classroom Bill of Rights!Objectives Students will be able to use historical documents and secondary sources to determine the origin and purpose of the United States government.I can make observations about historical documents and connect my observations to secondary source material to draw conclusions about the purpose of government. StandardsColorado Overarching Social Studies Strand: SS.5.4.2: The origins, structures, and functions of the United States government. 

In this seminar you will learn about some of the rights of a citizen in the United States. You will think about the rights that you have as a citizen and rank their importance according to your beliefs. You will have to use the “remaining open to continuous learning” habit of mind in this seminar. Additionally, you will get to create your own Classroom Bill of Rights!Standards5.2.4.A - Identify individual rights and needs and the rights and needs of others in the classroom, school, and community.